The present invention is directed toward an extendable pole for window washing and more particularly toward a plurality of elongated poles that can easily be assembled and disassembled and which not only support a brush at the top thereof but carry water or other washing solution to the brush.
Extendable poles for window washing are well known in the art and are widely used. Typically, scaffolding or a support lowered from a roof is used when cleaning windows on very tall buildings or on a building having seven or eighth floors or more. On the other hand, extendable poles are typically used for washing the windows on shorter buildings and sometimes for windows located on the lower five or six floors of taller buildings.
There are, however, several problems with using such poles. For example, in one known system, the poles typically have several telescoping sections. This makes the pole rather heavy and somewhat cumbersome to use from the ground even when the pole is collapsed or telescoped in. Also, as water and/or a cleaning solution travels through the pole, leaks may occur at the joints of the telescoping sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,484 to Graham discloses a window washing extension pole with interconnecting sections. The pole has first and second telescoping sections. However, the length of the pole may not be adjusted to a height beyond the length of the two sections. Therefore, it appears that the pole may be somewhat limited in how high it may reach. Furthermore, even when only the lower section is needed, one must support the weight of the entire device.
In another type of extendable pole known in the art, the sections may be releasably connected such as by a threaded connection, locking tabs, or the like. Cleaning fluid passes up through the center of the pole. Accordingly, the connections between the pole sections must not only mechanically connect the sections together but must also form a fluid tight connection. Again, however, similar to the telescoping pole, cleaning fluid may leak at the joints. Detecting the location of the leak may be difficult and not easily accomplished by a visual inspection of the pole.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2005/0123344 to Bensussan discloses quick release connections for an extensible pole used to extend the reach of a variety of tools, such as a window washing implement. This pole, however, does not appear to include a water or cleaning fluid supply located through or otherwise attached to the pole so that using the pole to wash windows at a significant height would become cumbersome.
Therefore, a need exists for an extendable pole for washing windows that is light weight, may be adjusted to any desired length, is easy to use, and allows for easy visual inspection of fluid leaks.